5 Days and Counting.

Only five days until we start practice.  Right now the coaches are handing out equipment, assigning lockers, checking field equipment etc...  Exciting stuff, right?  There is just something about the smell of a locker room.  They all smell about the same....sometimes a little more "ripe" than other days.  Sweaty T shirts, practice pants, socks and practice equipment left to dry in a locker gives it that "special" odor that all athletes are familiar with.  Most mothers would walk into a locker room and say: "This place is Disgusting and it Stinks"  Most fathers would walk in a locker room, take a deep breath, smile and say: "This place smells like a Locker Room!"  Lol.  Marty says my truck smells like a cross between a locker room and my dog Raleigh. .  I think my old truck smells just fine.  In fact, I would like to bottle the smell and sell it as a man's cologne!  My daughter (Kristin) used to hold her nose when she rode in my truck.  She would say: "DADDY, it stinks in here!" 

Let me tell you something about my kids (Kristin and Mike)  I must have been a horrible father and a lousy role model.  Like I said in a previous posting, I was pretty intense when I was younger.  Both of my kids were raised on athletic fields, and they certainly saw the best....and worst of their father over the years.  I can only hope to be a good father and grandfather from now on, and perhaps I can make amends with each of them. 

My daughter (Kristin) was literally raised on the football fields.  I remember when she was little, the cheerleaders adopted her as a mascot and she used to cheer at all my games.  I remember seeing her on the top of pyramids when she was tiny.  She was so cute.  I used to love her cheerleader's outfits and her little white shoes.   Kristin played a little softball and girls Lacrosse in high school but she was a  good utility player at best.  She never really had the size and body type to be a great athlete, but she was a good field general for sure....a true student of the game.  She would study the rule books and know the game inside and out.  I could see her coaching and barking orders to the other girls on the field when she played.  Kristin really shined as a cheerleader though.  She was not one of those teeny tiny little girls you see flying all over the place on TV, Kristin was a powerful leader of the squad.  She was a coach's daughter for sure, and she knew football inside and out.  Even as a freshman cheerleader, she would know exactly what was happening on the field, and she would select the correct cheer for the situation.  Kristin lettered four years as a cheerleader, and she lettered in Lacrosse as well.

Kristin really shined in the classroom.  She was/is one of Sebastian's original "superstar" students and graduated with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma back when it meant something to get one.  This diploma landed her into Vanderbilt University (when she was 17 years old)  where she earned her Master's Degree.  She later earned another Masters Degree from Clemson University.  Schooling always came very easy for Kristin; yet she still had the drive to work hard and be the best at what she was doing.  She gets her drive-to-succeed from her daddy I think .  I wish I could bottle her work ethic and drive-to-succeed and pass it around to other people I know.  Kristin is an educator, and she is taking some time off to raise her family while working from home for a publishing company.  In my eyes she is still the little girl sitting on my lap and saying: "Daddy, just listen!"   

My son Mike was a handful.  I was a single father who pretty much raised my son by myself.  He is several year's younger than Kristin, so he was the baby of the family.  I had dreamed of having a son I could play ball with, maybe fish together, and just hang out.  Naturally, Mike was raised on the football field as well.  I think this is where I made a mistake.  Mike was never given the choice to play football...he was told he WAS going to play football.  As a youngster, he was not a great athlete, but we used to practice and practice to make sure he was going to be successful.  Everyone had high praise for his skills as QB, and he was certainly growing into the part as well.  In HS, he was already 6'3" tall and 180 lbs. He attended the Nike Combines in Miami, and the Elite 11 QB Camp the very next day.  He had a good showing and it put him on the map.  A few weeks later, we attended the Scout Combines in New Orleans and he again had a good showing.  I think the stars were aligning for a good senior year and perhaps college after that.  All eyes were on Mike, and he did not like it. Mike and I developed ways of communicating on the football field without ever saying a word.  I could just look at him or give a hand signal, and he would know exactly what I wanted to do next.  The pressure of the game was nothing compared to the pressure I put on him at practice.  I regret that now.   Mike suffered a career ending ankle injury during his senior year, and he was never the same again. 

After college, Mike joined the US Army.  In fact, he trained with the football team to prepare himself for the rigors of basic training.  One of my proudest moments was during Mike's boot camp graduation. Mike was flying on his own without any interference from me whatsoever.   He was dominating, and I loved hearing about it.  I also got paid that weekend as well.  Mike said that he uses all the "Lessons in Life" I was trying to teach him everyday in the Army.  The Army is all about teamwork, and the leadership skills he now uses was taught on the football field! I have tears in my eyes right now just thinking about that moment. Mike is now stationed in Vilseck, Germany with one tour of combat duty in Afghanistan under his belt.  Mike sent me one of his Unit's Black Stetson Cavalry Hats, and I proudly wear it on our game days.  There is only one other achievement I would like for Mike to obtain. He knows what it is.   

GZ